The over-the-counter painkiller ibuprofen could help us hold off the ageing process, US scientists say. Tests on flies found that the drug extended lifespan by the equivalent of 12 years for a human being.
Giving the drug to yeasts, flies and worms not only extended the length of their lives but helped them maintain fitness and health as they aged, The Independent reports.
Lead researcher Prof Michael Polymenis, of Texas A&M University, said: "We are not sure why this works but it is worth exploring further. This study was a proof of principle, to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Therefore, it should be possible to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with the aim of adding healthy years of life in people."
Ibuprofen was developed in the 1960s and became available over the counter in the 1980s. It can be used to reduce inflammation, control temperature and relieve pain.
While it is not known why the drug extended lifespan in the organisms it was tested on, there was one clue. The drug was found to interfere with the ability of yeast cells to pick up the essential nutrient tryptophan, obtained in the diet from protein.
Co-author of the research, Dr Chong He of the Buck Institute for Age Research in California, said: "We have some preliminary data ... that showed that this drug also extended the health span in worms. It made them live not just longer but also [made them] more healthy.
"You can measure the thrashing of the worms. If they're healthy, they do have a tendency to thrash a lot, and also we can measure the pumping as they swallow, because if they're healthy, the pumping is faster."
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
